It has to do with the transfiguration,
as you'll see. But there's another thing here,
too, that I want us to look at concerning the fact that our
Lord said, Don't tell this until after I'm alive again from the
dead. So, let's read our text, Matthew
17, 1 through 13, or our Scripture. And after six days, Jesus taketh Peter, James, John
his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart.
and was transfigured before them, and his face did shine as the
sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And behold, there
appeared unto them Moses and Elijah talking with him. Then answered Peter and said,
unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here. If thou wilt,
let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, one for Moses,
and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a
bright cloud overshadowed them, And behold a voice out of the
cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased, hear ye him. When the disciples heard it,
they fell on their face and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and
touched them and said, Arise and be not afraid. When they had lifted
up their eyes, they saw no man save Jesus only. And as they came down from the
mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell this vision to no
man until the Son of Man is risen again from the dead. And His
disciples asked Him, saying, Why then say the scribes that
Elias must first come? Jesus answered and said unto
them, Elias truly shall come first and restore all things. But I say unto you that Elias
is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him
whatsoever they listed or pleased. Likewise shall also the Son of
Man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood
that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. Now what we have
read here is Matthew's account of what is always referred to
as the transfiguration of the Lord Jesus. And I think that
we could say that this was probably the most glorious manifestation
that the Lord ever made of himself during his earthly ministry here
on the earth, and especially prior unto his death. Nothing else like it do we find
during the ministry of our Lord. Not only that, but there are
two more accounts of this transfiguration written up in our New Testament
Scripture. Mark has him, chapter 9, verses
2 through 8, and Luke also has written also in chapter 9 and
verse 28 through verse 36. Not only so, but Peter also mentions
it in his second epistle in chapter 1 and verse 16 through verse
18, when he was in the mount and saw the glory of the Lord. Now we consider some of them
all, but work first and primarily from Matthew's account as it
gives a little fuller details concerning the Lord's transfiguration
than the other gospel. And it gives us, therefore, a
little bit better overall picture of the event. For example, while
all three mention the appearance of Moses and Elijah there on
the mount, Only Matthew in his gospel includes that reference
at the end to John the Baptist and the coming of Elias. Now, in using these texts and
seeking to open them for our better spiritual profit, it behooves
us to consider the transfiguration. But at the same time, not to
miss things that occurred along with it and in conjunction with
it, and the significance of it, the transfiguration, and the
effect of it upon those who were privileged to experience this
greatest display of the glory of the God-man upon the earth. And we want to especially here
consider and meditate upon that command which the Lord gave unto
the privileged three, Peter and James and John. First of all,
however, let us notice something, and that is, in each one of the
gospel accounts of this transfiguration, each author records immediately
prior unto them the words of the Lord that go like this, Verily
I say unto you, there be some standing here, Matthew 16, 26,
Mark 9, and verse 1 has it, there be some of them that stand here,
Luke 9 and verse 27 says the same thing as Matthew. So the question is, is this a
veiled reference to the transfiguration? For there be some of you standing
that shall not die until they have seen the coming of the Lord
mentioned. Or does it refer to something
later than the Transfiguration, such as bringing in the New Covenant
or the promise of the Gospel? The footnotes, I notice, in the
New King James Geneva Study Bible suggest that the Son of Man coming
in his kingdom, more likely, relates to that entire process
by which Jesus receives dominion, and especially his resurrection,
his ascension and glorification, and the sending down of the Holy
Spirit. and some expositors take it to
have a connection with 70 A.D. and the destruction of Jerusalem. At any rate, it was a very significant
event, the 70 A.D., and necessary to the complete abolishing of
Judaism and of the old economy. and bringing in fully Christianity
and the Gospel. The better, new and better way
as we read about it in the book of Hebrews. Now, quite a number
of the apostles lived to see Pentecost. And John the Aged
likely lived to see 70 A.D. and the destruction of Jerusalem. John Gill noted It cannot refer
to any coming of the Lord in the end time, for all of those
died, and they died long ago. Here's just an example of the
misunderstanding of the words of our Lord. Like in John chapter
21 and verse 21, through verse 23. Jesus said
something about John, and the disciples understood it to say
that he would never die. But be that as it may, the transfiguration
and a couple of facts that we want to enter into the record. Number one, we notice from the
Scripture where it occurred, and that was on a high mountain
apart. where it occurred was not down
on a public road or in a public street or on the city square,
but on a mountain apart. And time would fail to recall
and read how many divine action and transaction were done from
a hill or from a mount. To name a few, the giving of
the law, the sacrificing of Isaac upon the mount, the Mount of
Olives, and the temptation of Christ, the crucifixion of the
Lord, just to name a few things done upon a hill or a mountain. And secondly, the ones chosen
to be witnesses to this glorious event. All three accounts name
them as being Peter and James and John. And when we read the
scripture, we see that these three were more than one time
privileged to see and to hear what the other apostles and disciples
did not. I'll name some. This transfiguration. B. In Mark 5, verse 37, these
three again alone were present when the Lord raised up the daughter
of a ruler of the synagogue. C. In Matthew 26, verse 37, these
same three were witnesses to the great agony of the Lord in
the garden. He left the others He took Peter
and James and John a little bit further. And that's interesting
because in Galatians 2 and verse 9, these three men, Peter, James,
and John, Paul perceived to be pillars in the church at Jerusalem. And they endorsed the ministry
of Paul and the gospel that he preached among the Gentiles. So why these? Why these three,
if we may raise the question, Peter and James and John? Could it be simply that upon
biblical principle, that by the testimony of two or three witnesses
shall every word be established." That's a biblical principle.
You have it in Matthew 18, 30, 18, 16, 1 Corinthians 13, and verse 1, verse Timothy 5
and verse 19, and it's an Old Testament principle, Deuteronomy
17 and 6 and 19 and 15. Not a single witness at any time
against a man. Always at least two or three
witnesses that a thing might be confirmed. Now, the transfiguration. Matthew and Mark say, He was
transfigured. Now, the word, if I mistake it
not, can be found four times translated in our New Testament. And in both Matthew and Mark's
Gospel, you'll find it again in Romans 12 and verse 2, be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. And you'll see it
again in 2 Corinthians 3 and verse 18. We are changed, that's
the word, changed into the same image. It's from a compound word,
as I understand. meta, change, and morph as to
form. To change, therefore, or to take
on another form. You see that Luke 9 and verse
29 uses another word to describe it, saying the fashion of His
countenance was altered. Literally, it became different. In a lesser degree, we read in
Mark 16 and verse 12, that to the two he appeared in another
form. Some have manifested in a different
form. His appearance somewhat altered
so that the two on Emmaus Road did not know or recognize the
Lord Jesus Christ, because he appeared in another form. But in this great and only transfiguration,
which is described as we put all three gospel accounts together,
Matthew said he was transfigured before them, that is, before
Peter and James and John. It was for their eyes only experience,
them and them alone. And such manifestations as his
face did shine as the sun, his raiment was white as light, And
Mark adds to white that no fuller on earth could white them. Now, a fuller, f-u-l-l-e-r, was
like a laundry-er in that day, one that restores colors again
to their proper tint and brightness. And the idea is that the raiment
of our blessed Lord could have been made no whiter even by the
most experienced launderer that might be available. Luke says
his raiment was white and glistening. Luke says that the Lord went
up into the mount to pray and that the transfiguration occurred
as He was at prayer. Now we're bound to conclude that
this glorious brightness of His raiment did not emanate was not
from the garments themselves, but that they emanated from the
body of the Lord Jesus Christ that was in them. Not from His
clothes did this brightness emanate, else they would have glown even
longer. We do not err to say that they
were ordinary clothes that our Lord was wearing, that afterward
they returned again to their natural condition. The brightness
came from the Lord as seen in the fact that His face glowed
which was not covered with any kind of a garment or a veil. And this incident was unto the
three to serve as a confirmation of the person of their master. They got here a confirmation
of the deity, the grandeur, the person, and the nature of our
blessed Lord. As there in that mount, in private
with them, He let loose a part of that glory that He had with
the Father before the world was. And the splendor of the Lord
so shined that His garments could not keep it in or could not cover
it or smother it. But it came from within. Charles Spurgeon wrote, It was
a marvelous unveiling of the hidden nature of the Lord Jesus."
Now, if you'll pardon a short digression, and you be the judge
whether or not this is pertinent under our study, but this seems
to clearly refute the notion of the kenosis who say that Christ
lay aside or temporarily divested Himself of His divine nature
in the incarnation in flesh, and that He lay aside His divine
attribute or left them in heaven, slipped out of them like one
might out of some kind of a garment. True, the Lord, did not appear
in the fullness of His glory, which was constant in heaven. For there could none on earth
bear that sight and live. Who could see the Lord in all
of His glory and live? For the Lord took the form of
a servant, but He lost none of His deity. He veiled it as it
were, in flesh. He lost none of his attribute,
but somewhat restricted their exercise among the children of
men. Why then the transfiguration? Let's go back to that question.
And why only one time. Why only three witnesses out
of all of his followers and why away from and out of the sight
of the people and even the other apostles that had accompanied
with our Lord. And why command them to secrecy? This is a great thing. This would
greatly buoy their faith, we would think, Why, therefore,
hold it in until he had conquered death and come back out of the
grave? I grant you, this would be a
hard secret to keep. On other occasions, our Lord
did a wonderful work and He said, don't tell any man about this.
But they went and told it everywhere. But it seems here that he swore
the disciple unto secrecy. Christ was crucified publicly,
but he was transfigured mostly before the followers that he
had chosen. Crucified before a godless, screaming,
violent mob. But it was to them a confirmation
of the Lord's real nature and person, what they saw that day
on the mount. For in addition to what they
saw, what they saw with their own eyes, and that was the Lord
shining greater than ever did the face of Moses coming down
out of the mount. A sight much more impressive
than that of the burning bush. Yet, what they heard, we also
want to consider. In Matthew chapter 17 and 5,
Mark 9 and 7, Luke 9 and 35, they heard the voice of the Lord
God saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye Him. God bearing witness
to His Son in the hearing of these three pillars of the church
at the Transfiguration. Now, we are no doubt right in
concluding these three vessels of Christ, Peter, James, and
John, when they originally went up to the mount, expected nothing
more than a time of prayer. Luke 9 verse 28, He took Peter,
John, and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. And that's what they no doubt
expected. But while he was at prayer, behold,
the Lord was transfigured right in their presence and right before
their eyes. Now often our Lord went and prayed,
sometimes all night, communed with the Father. But I do not
say that he prayed to be transfigured. But that verse in Luke 9, verse
29 said, As he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered. As the God-man prayed, there
came an altering temporarily of his countenance and of his
appearing. Now, what's more, all three Gospels
tell us the fact that Moses the lawgiver and Elijah the prophet
appeared on the mount. two of the very eminent persons
from the old economy. And we are told some things about
these two as they appeared to and before the Lord on the mount. A. In Luke 9, 30 and 31 they
appeared in glory. They appeared not in their natural
earthly body as it might have been upon the earth, but they
appeared in glory. Now this is an amazing thing,
is it not? And yet it is a mystery beyond
our comprehension or explanation. For consider, Moses had died,
so say historians, some 1,500 years before this account. And remember, Moses died over
in the land of Moab and was buried by the Lord God Himself in a
valley, and none knew the location of his grave. So says Deuteronomy
34, verse 5 and verse 6. Something interesting about Moses,
the Scripture tells us that he was 120 years old when he died,
but that his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. Deuteronomy 34, And verse 7,
when he died, he did not die of sickness nor disease, nor
did he die from the ravages of old age as so many others do. He held his strength and a sort
of youthfulness unto his dying day. The margin has it there
in Deuteronomy, his moisture did not fail or had not fled. Deuteronomy 31 and verse 2 seems
to make an issue of his age, however, but Gill attributes
it to the will of God. Be that as it may, Moses was
there at the transfiguration of the Lord in glory. Now, the other person that was
there was the Old Testament prophet Elijah, and his departure out
of the world was also very unusual, in that Elijah, like few, leaped
over the grave and was taken up to heaven alive in a whirlwind
and a chariot of fire. 11. Elijah went up some 900 years
prior unto the appearance on the Mount of Transfiguration.
He was a chief prophet among Israel. In his day he appeared
to call Israel back from their apostasy and set up the school
of the prophets in Israel. And though they were not contemporaries
on the earth, here they are together in glory at the Lord's transfiguration
in some manner of glorious form or appearance, in some manner
of splendor, some manner of radiance. Not like the three dazzled apostles,
but in some manner of glory. And in some way or manner Their
identity was made known unto Peter and James and John. We know that because Peter suggesting
building a memorial unto them, calling them by their name. So in some way they knew. And
then B, we are told that Moses and Elijah not only appeared
in glory on the mount, but that they were conversing talking,
speaking with the Lord. They were carrying on a conversation
with our Lord in the hearing and the presence of Peter and
James and John. And all three Gospels tell us
that, that they talked with the Lord, which no doubt the apostles
heard and they understood the conversation. And then see, it
is Luke 9.31 that gives us the subject of their conversation. For there it is written, quote,
they spoke of his decease which he should accomplish in Jerusalem,
unquote. Now, it's interesting in a short
word study here. The word decease is three times
in the New Testament. here in Luke 9 and verse 31. Peter uses it in 2 Peter 1 and
verse 15 of, quote, my decease, unquote, of his own death. And
then it is in Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 22 of the departing
of the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. Departing. That's the word that we have
here in our Gospel. Exodus. It is an exodus, a way
out, a going out, a departure, an exit. And we notice that both
Luke 9.31 and 2 Peter 1.15 use it as a euphemism for death,
an exit or a departure, leaving out of this world or out of this
life. I hope this is not distracting,
but there is a word in Acts 13 and verse 24 that speaks of the
Lord's coming, that is, of His entrance into His offices, the
beginning of His public ministry. And I only mention it because
it is the converse of His departure, as He had a coming in and among
So he had a departure, an entrance and a departure. But back to
the conversation concerning the exodus of the Lord in Jerusalem. For it is added, which he should
accomplish in Jerusalem, which he should fulfill, which should
come to pass. not only the fact, but the place. Not only an exodus, but the place
where he would make that exodus at Jerusalem. It would be at
Jerusalem that he would die, that he would make his exodus
or his exit out of this life. So let us consider the decease
of the Apostle Peter. His exodus, his departure was
not as the same degree of significance as that of the Lord Jesus. How, when, or where he died,
that is Peter, had no great effect on the church or upon the world
at large. And as J.C. Ryle wrote, to depart
from life is the common lot of all. Think about that. To depart,
to make a departure, to have life come to an end, is the common
lot of all. But in the Lord's exodus, departure,
or death, which was at Jerusalem, it was a unique, one-of-a-kind
death, as seen by the accompanying manifestation when He was on
the cross and when He died. No man ever died like the Lord
died. Never were there manifestations
like there were when the Lord died. For example, the hours
of darkness while our Lord was dying upon the cross, the renting
of rocks, the earthquakes, as our Lord was dying. The renting
of the veil in the Jewish temple, my, how significant that was. And the earthquaking, graves
opening in Jerusalem. And after His death, the dead
coming out of their graves. Not only so, but the death of
the Holy One was died in accordance with the Scripture. It fulfilled
the saying of the prophet and provided the only salvation there
is for guilty sinners. Now, in verse 5 and 6 of Matthew
17, the disciples were overcome with fear at the manifestation
of glory. And then it passed, and Moses
and Elijah were gone, and the Lord was back again to his regular
appearance, and they came down eventually off of the mount. But the event implanted in their
mind forever. and that by a divine design and
will to establish them more in the faith of their blessed Lord. But now look at verse 9 again. This is a strange and an unusual
thing or command from the Lord. And as they came down from the
mountain, Jesus charged them saying, Tell no tell the vision
to no man until the Son of Man be risen again from the dead. Now the Lord binds them to secrecy
for a time as to what they had seen and heard. Somewhat like
Paul, they saw and they heard things that were not lawful to
utter, as did Paul when he was caught up into the third heaven
in 2 Corinthians 12 and verse 4. But unlike Paul, this one
had a limitation on the restriction in that it could be told after
the Son of Man was risen from the dead. The Son of Man being
a main way that the Lord describes Himself during His ministry while
in the world. Now, let's spend the rest of
our time this morning considering the impact of the Lord arising
from the dead, that while the two spoke of the death, that
he would die at Jerusalem, the Lord speaks of his being raised. Not if, but when. And that's important. Not if
I be raised, but when I am raid, telling them, keep it a secret,
keep it within, and as we see in Luke chapter 9 verse 36 and
the last part said, and they kept it close and told no man
in those days any of those things which they had seen. They kept
it close. Now, as a related matter, it
might surprise us at how many times the Lord gave a like command
to some that he had blessed or that he had healed or that he
had helped. For example, the cleansed leper
in Matthew 8, verse 4, see thou tell no man, but show yourself
unto the priest. after Peter's great confession
in Matthew chapter 16 and verse 20, then charged he his disciples
that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ. Mark 7 verse 36, after healing
a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, he told them that
they should tell no man. In Luke 8.56, after raising the
daughter of the ruler of the synagogue from the dead, he charged
them that they should tell no man what was done." Now, why
these restrictions? Why so often did our Lord say
that? Most of the time they couldn't
help it. They didn't keep quiet. The three
disciples did, but it was a story, a blessing too great to keep.
And so they began to spread it about. Why did the Lord tell
them to keep it in? Why not shout it from the housetop? We can only surmise, and that's
all. Was it for judgment and blindness
to Israel for their unbelief? Again, was it that the Lord not
be simply overwhelmed with a great multitude that would be coming
if these things were told everyone and in every place? Or was it
that our Lord would not cast pearl before swine? Is that a
factor in Him saying, Tell no man until I am raised again from
the dead." Or was it simply something to be saved and told later for
the edification and the strength of the church? Whatever be the
answer, it is evident that the resurrection of our Lord from
the dead put all things in a newer and a clearer light. As His resurrection gave validity
to all of the claims that our Lord had made during His ministry. For example, He said, Destroy
this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again. In
John 2, verse 19. He gave His resurrection as the
antitype of Noah. I'll be three days and nights
in the bowels of the earth. Matthew 12, verse 40. Three days and three nights in
the heart of the verse. of the earth. And the Lord said
again and again that he would die and live again after three
days. Matthew 20, 19, 27, 63, Mark
8, 31 and 10 and 34, Luke 24 and verse 7 are just a few of
the places where the Lord said the Son of Man shall be put to
death and rise again the third day. Now, Romans 1 and verse
4, declared, or the margin has determined, to be the Son of
God with power by the resurrection from the dead. That's an interesting
statement. The word there in Romans 1 and
verse 4, declared or determined, I think is the word horizo and
refers to marking out or fixing or setting of a boundary. It can mean a border. It can
mean a coast. And the seven other times in
the New Testament that it is used, it is determined, a point,
ordained. So how often the Father said,
This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased hear Him. Even so, by and after His resurrection
from the dead, our Lord was exalted to the highest glory. What John
Murray called a new phase of sovereignty. Our Lord exalted. Peter said to the Jew on Pentecost
in Acts chapter 2 and 33 through verse 36, Jesus being by the right hand
of God exalted and made Lord and Christ, in other words, raised
to the highest glory in order that he might exercise and execute
a mediatorial lordship over the things of God and particularly
under the church. He was as much the Son of God
before the resurrection as he was after. But it was after the
resurrection and his ascension that things really fell in place
and came together in the mind of the disciple and apostle and
other believers. as in John chapter 12 and verse
16. These things understood not his
disciple at the first, but when Jesus was glorified, they remembered
these things were written of him and that he had done these
things unto him or them. John 2 verse 22. In Luke 18 and
34, after the Lord told the Twelve
of His coming treatment and of death at the hands of the Jew
and of the Gentile. We read in verse 34, And they
understood none of these things, and this saying was hid from
them, neither knew they the things which were spoken, Unquote. Our Lord plainly said, the Son
of Man be betrayed and be killed at the hand of the Gentile. And
yet they could not imagine their Lord being put to death. In Matthew
16, verse 22. You see, His death dashed their
hopes of a temporal deliverance and deliverer. Luke chapter 24
and verse 1. While His resurrection kindled
that hope in them again to a degree, Acts 1 verse 6, will you at this
time restore the kingdom unto Israel? But instead He ascended
into heaven, He was glorified, and He poured out the Holy Spirit
upon Pentecost, upon His church and people, Acts 2.33. He hath
received the Father the promise, and hath shed forth this which
ye now see and hear. And after His resurrection, The
Lord showed himself alive to the apostle whom he had chosen
by many infallible proofs. Acts 1 and verse 3. His death
and resurrection was the way to his exaltation and his mediatorial
glory and that new phase of sovereignty that Murray spoke about. And
remember, He was raised for our justification. Romans chapter
4 and verse 25. Well, don't tell this until I'm
risen from the dead. But I say to you this morning,
there's no need now to hold back any truth relative to our Lord. and the gospel and salvation. Christ has finished the work
on earth. He has conquered death and ascended
to the right hand of God. And therefore, we may tell it
all, all the message of our Lord, keeping back nothing that is
profitable for you, as Paul said.